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(No Model.)

L. PENTZ.

GAR GOUPLING.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. PENTZ.

GAR COUPLING Patented Dec.19,1882.

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NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

LEVI PEN TZ, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-HALF TO JOHN P. RAUOH, OF SAME PLACE, AND ROBERT G. MAOGONIGLE, OF PITTSBURG, PA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,456, dated December 19, 1882.

Application filed July 29,1882. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEVI PENTZ, residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, and a citizen of the United States, have invented new and useful Improvements in Car- Oouplers, of which the following is a full description,ret'erenee being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is aside elevation, showing one boxcar full length and the end of another box-car with the coupling device attached; Fig.2, an

under side view of the ad acent ends of two cars with the trucks and other appliances removed, showing the location and arrangement of the couplers; Fig. 3, an end elevation of a box-car with the couplingdevices thereon; Fig. 4, a top or plan view of the coupling devices detached; Fig. 5, a central longitudinal section on line 00 w of Fig. 4, with the draw hook, bar, and spring in elevation, showing, also, the floor of the car in section Fig. 6, a cross-section on line 13 of Fig. 4, showing, also, the floor of the car in section Fig. 7, a detail of the connecting pin or bar for the link; Fig. 8, a detail, being a side elevation of the link; Fig. 9, a detail, being a sideelevation of the draw-head; Fig. 10, a top or plan view of a bumper or drawhead made up of a single piece.

Thisinvention relates tocar-couplersdesigned more especially for use with freight-cars, either box or flat, butis adapted for use with other cars, and has for its objects to construct a coupling which will entirely overcome the danger attending the coupling and uncoupling of cars, and which can be readily applied to any of the present style of cars by removing the drawheads and coupling-links now used and replacing them with the devices composing this invention, and which can also be used with cars having the ordinary draw-head, coupling-link, and pin without any difficulty or changing of the parts, and at the same time have the parts forming the coupler simple in construction, effectual in operation, and readily attached in position. TheseobjectsIaccomplish bytheconstruction and combination of parts. which I will now proceed to describe in detail, afterward pointing out the improvements by the claims. in the drawings, A represents a couplinglink, which may be made of wrought -iron or other material that will stand the strain in use.

This link as shown is of a U or clevis shape, and its rear or attaching end is left open or disconnected to allow vertical play and to straddle the draw-hook. Each side bar of thelink, at the rear end, is provided with a slot or opening, a, somewhatlonger than the width of the attaching pin or bar for the passage of such pin or bar, and to allow the link to have a free lateral swing or movement to a limited extent 6 whenahecouplingismade. This'conpling-link may be made of an ordinary size in diameter, and is to be of the necessary length to throw over the draw-hook, and its width is to be such as to readily enter the link-opening of the or- .6 dinary draw-head, so as to be used with such draw head and an ordinary coupling pin to make the coupling when required.

B is the attaching pin or bar, made of wrought-iron or other suitable material. This pin or bar is flat and of a rectangular shape in cross-section, as shown, and passes through the opening or slots a when the parts are together.- This pin or bar has at one end an enlarged circular portion, B, at the extreme end of which is an arm or extension, B, the end of which is provided with a ball or weight, b, to assist and insure the throwing of the link down in making the coupling. This ball or weight, however, can be dispensed with, if d'e- 8o sired, as the devices will work properly without it. This ball or weightalso acts to hold the link down to place when the coupling is made and prevent any jar of the car from raising the link over the draw-hook, which might 8 sometimes occur in case of a heavy or severe jar, but is not liable to occur in ordinary running.

ThepartB,in the form ofconstruction shown, forms a drum or Windlass for the chain, by which the link is raised, and the pin or bar B, adjacent to the end of B, may belet't round to form a journal where the pin passes through the bumper. The pin B might be square in cross-section, or it could have two of its sides flat and two round, or be formed in some other manner to receive the link, so that the two will be locked together.

O is a draw-hook, made of wrought-iron or other suitable material and of the form shown I00 or of other form adapted to allow the link'to drop them over readily, and when over to remain so under ordinary circumstances. As shown, the hook is provided with a notch, e, at the pointwhere the end of the link rests when in use, to form a guard and prevent vertical play or rise or fall of the link from the jarof the moving train. This book is formed on the end of the draw-bar O, the rear end of O of which is rounded and provided with a screw-thread, c, to receive a nut, c, and, as shown, a shoulder, c, is formed at the juncture of the bars CL C to furnish a bearing for the spring; but a collar or flange or other .device could be applied for this purpose.

D is a head, cast or otherwise formed with a body, D. Two of these heads D, with bodies D, are provided in the form of construction shown in Figs. for the link and its pin, and also a bumper to take the shock when the two cars are brought together. Each head is provided with a suitable opening, cl, for the passage of the pin B,

and when the two pieces are together an opening, 1), is formed for the link A. The drawhook U and the bumper or headD are secured together by means of bolts 01, passing through the bodies DJ and the draw-bar G, or in some other suitable manner to bring the hook ,central between the portions D of the head or bumper and when the parts are together the link A straddles or is on each side of the head 0. As shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, the bumper or draw-head D D is made in two pieces; but it could be made of a single piece, as shown in Fig. 10, and the form may be varied from that shown to adapt it for use in some other manner than shown, so long as it will coaet with the draw-hook and the link and allow the link to drop readily over the hook.

' E is a coil-spring-located around the portion 0 of the draw-bar; F, a cross piece or support, through which the portion 0 of the draw-bar passes, and against which one end of the spring E bears, the other end of the spring bearing against the shoulder a, or a collar or flange or other device on the draw-bar. This spring E is to be of sufficient strength to take the blow when the cars come together, and at the same time allow the bumper or draw-head to yield and prevent the shock from doing any damage.- Instead of a coil-spring, a rubber or other form of spring that will form a cushion against the shock of the cars and a means for returning the bumper or draw-head to its normal position as the cars separate and thecontact of the two heads or bumpers is released could be used.

G represents side pieces, located thebumper or draw-head, and to which is attached the cross-piece F. H is a crosspiece, secured to the side pieces, G, and forming a support or rest for the bumper or draw-head. These pieces F, G, and H form a frame to receive and support the bumper or draw-head and the draw-bar, and this frame is to be attached by bolts, straps, or otherwise to the under side of the car-floor or other support at the proper point for the draw- 'tion B of the pin B, the chain 4, 5, and 6, and form a support 'on box-cars,

between which is.

the remaining cars head or bumper to project beyond the end of the car the distance required for use, and so as to allow the bumper or draw-head to yield in use. The form of the frame may be varied from that shown, so long as it will furnish a support for the draw-head.

1 is the bottom of a car; J J,ordinary boxcars; K, rod or shaft supported in suitable hearings on the end of the car and having at each end a crank or handle, K, so located as to be near the side of the car and within reach of the operator; L, an arm secured to the shaft K; M, a chain or cord, one end of which is fastened to the arm L and the other to the poror cord having one or more turns around B, so that as the arm L is raised the chain or cord will unwind and turn the pin B, raising the link in position to be thrown over the draw-hook as the cars come together.

N is a chain or cord secured at one end to the arm L and extending up to the top of the car, by means of which a person on top of the car can raise the link into position for coupling or raise it to uncouple. The crank-shaft or-rod is also used to raise the linkin uncoupling. The chain or cord N is intended for use and can be dispensed with for flat cars, the crank rod or shaft K, with its arm L and chain M, being all that is necessary for operating the link on a fiat car.

The operation is as follows: When the coupling is to be made the operator takes hold of the crank or handle K and turns the rod or shaft K, lifting the arm L, and through the chain M turning the pin or bar B, raising the link A and throwing it back into the position shown on the end J of the car J. The link A is left hanging on the car with which the car on which the link has been raised is to be coupled, as shown in Fig. 1, on the end of the ear J. As the two cars come together the bumpers or draw-heads are brought in contact, and the force of the blow throws the link which has been raised down and over the draw-hook on the other car coupling the two cars together, as shown in Fig.1, in which the car J is the one on which the link has been raised by the crank shaft or rod and the chain, the link on the car J having been left hanging. This operation of raising a link, bringing two cars together, and having the concussion or blow throw the raised link over the draw hook is repeated with each car until the train is made up, and for box-cars the link can be raised either by the crank shaft or red or through such shaft or red and the chain A.

When it is desired to uncouple the cars for any purpose, the operator can, by taking hold of the cord N or ahandle or crank, K, of the shaft or rod K, raise the link clear of the drawhook, disconnecting the two cars, and after switching or otherwise disposing of such car switched or transferred can be recoupled, in the manner alreadydescribed,byraising thelink A.

The link could be raised by taking hold of or cars as are to be lCS the arm or lever B, inwhich case the chain or cord M and crank shaft or red K are not required; and by making the extension or portionB of sufficient length to bring the arm or lever B near the side of the car, so that it would not be necessary to pass between the cars to grasp and operate the arm or lever, such arm or lever could be used successfully to raise thelink; but when so used the operation will have to be performed from one side of the car, and could not be performed from either side, as with the crank rodor shaft K.

If it necessary to make a coupling between two cars one of which has an ordinary drawhead for coupling with a link and pin and the other is provided with the devices of this invention, the coupling can be readily made, as the link can be raised into position to pass into the ordinary draw-head, and the coupling-pin dropped, as usual; but the uncoupling cannot be as readily applied,.as the pin has to be withdrawn, the same as when coupling with a link and pin. It will be seen, however, that the coupling of cars with the old-style drawhead can be successfully made with the devices of this invention.

With this invention it'will be seen that the danger attending the coupling of cars is entirely overcome, as the necessity for going between the cars to make the coupling is done away with. The cars can be coupled and uncoupled without any trouble. The devices are very simple in construction, and can be readily applied to cars in place of the ordinary drawhead, pins, and links, and no objection arises in case the coupling is to be made with a car or cars having the ordinary draw-heads.

The pin or bar B, when inserted, may be retained in place by a spring-key, b, as shown, or in some other suitable manner.

If desired, an ordinary coupling-link may be dropped over the draw-hooks to relieve the on the transverse pin,

strain from the regular coupling-links A in case of heavy trains, or ifit is desired to couple cars closer than with the links A.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a car-coupling, the combination of a draw-head, D, a hooked draw-bar, 0, and a rocking pin, B, extending transversely through the draw head and bar, with the coupling-link A, slotted at its rear end and loosely arranged substantially as described, whereby it is capable of moving laterally with respect to the draw-head.

2. The combination of a draw-head, D, a hooked draw-bar, 0, arranged therein, and a rocking pin,B, extending transversely through the draw head and bar, and having at one end an enlarged circular portion, B, to which a chain is attached, with a coupling-link, A, mounted-on the transverse pin, substantially as described.

3. The-combination of the draw-head D, the central hooked draw-bar, O, and the transverse pin B, with the coupling-link A, having elongated slots at at its rear end, through which the transverse pin loosely passes, whereby the link is capable of lateral movements, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the draw-head D, the central hooked draw-bar, O, the transverse square or equivalent shaped pin B, having at one end. a circular enlargement, B, to which a chain is attached, and the coupling-link A, having slots at of a length greater than the thickness of the transverse pin, whereby the link can move laterally thereon, substantially as described.

LEVI PENTZ.

I Witnesses:

J. A. WANN, JAMES J. GRANT. 

